The 4 R's Of Habit Formation
Appropriately, I wanted to make this week’s installment of the Weekly Hurdle all about habit formation. For some of us over the next 30 days, that will include a regular journaling practice. For others, perhaps you’ve got other goals. Maybe you’re focused on drinking two bottles of water a day or making time for 10 minutes of meditation on Saturday mornings. Whatever habit you’re trying to engrain in your routine, there’s no denying that a good set of them can make or break your success. And, whether you’re trying to form a good habit or break a bad one, both can have their fair share of challenges.
Ready to home in on a new habit? Here are four things to keep in mind:
Real interest: You should want to get on board with a specific habit because it’s something that interests you. If you’re doing it because you see someone else doing it but don’t feel any personal tie to it, then the habit surely won’t stick. A great example: Maybe you’ve seen one-too-many Insta-yogis in your feed and think that yoga looks cool (because, it totally does!). However, you don’t actually enjoy yoga and would much rather sweat doing other things, like rollerskating (the trend of 2020) or dancing with friends. That’s OK! Double-tap their photos clad in Alo and Lululemon, and then find a different habit that resonates more with you and your desires.
Routine: If you want to make something a habit, then you’re going to have to make it routine. That means, find a time during your schedule where this habit can fit in and stay in. For someone who has to be at work early in the morning, it may be difficult to make morning fitness a regular habit, for example. However, this person may be able to plug in a regular 20-minute walk during their lunch break or commit to an evening exercise practice. If the habit’s a hassle to fit in, that’s no good.
Rigidity: Be firm in making your habit a constant practice. Commit to this habit like you would a catch-up with a good friend or a work meeting. Also: Give it a specific time allotment. For example, if you’ve hopped on the Peloton train and want to commit to one class a week, make sure you don’t just give yourself those 45 minutes. Plug in the 10-or-so minutes before to change and prep, and the 20 minutes afterward for a shower (or, perhaps a dry-shampoo-and-change, situation). This way, you have less room for excuses and won’t be rushing onto the next thing too soon.
Reflect: After 30 days of doing this habit regularly, ask yourself — how does this new addition to my life make me feel? Is it building you up? Is it still difficult? Have an honest conversation and do a deep dive into what’s working, what’s not, and how you can continue on in your efforts.
One last tidbit that doesn’t start with R: Make sure to start small. You want this thing to be doable rather than overwhelming. So, while you may eventually want to be the kind of person who stretches for 15 minutes every morning before you drink coffee (same, really) — start with working in a habit to do 10 minutes twice a week. Then, grow from there. Small wins lead to big wins, and all wins lead to happiness.
Prompt: What’s one habit you want to integrate into your regular routine, and what’s a good way for you to begin this coming week?